July's Photographer of the Month - George Johnson
‘What can you tell us about your winning entry into our photography competition?’
I work in London Monday to Friday and I always carry my pocket camera with me. Most people run for cover when it rains but I love shooting in the rain, the light changes very dramatically as it bounces off wet surfaces. On this particular day I spotted one or two people and it was their determined motion up the road to a such an iconic London landmark made me stop and look. I just had to wait for someone with an umbrella to walk past to get the shot I wanted.
‘How did you get into photography?’
My great-great grandfather was a professional portrait and landscape photographer in the late 19th Century, and my family have always enjoyed taking pictures. My parents were keen amateur photographers, my father even had his own darkroom and I remember cameras always being available to me as I grew up. It was only when my daughter was born that I started taking it more seriously, shooting mostly landscapes up and down the UK. Only in the last year or so that I’ve also started shooting street images.
‘What do you enjoy about photography?’
I suppose two key points I love about are that photography is such a democratic art form, anyone can try their hand at it and get something from it. Almost everyone has a mobile phone these days so there’s no excuses to not have a go. The other is that a camera is basically a time machine, every image you take is immediately a window back into the past. The scary thing is that that moment will never, ever be repeated again yet somehow you were in the right place, right time and you have saved it forever.
‘What are your plans for the future?’
I just want to keep shooting and trying to improve, you can never shoot a perfect picture so there’s always something new to learn. I make a few sales here and there but unlike most people I’ve no aspirations of being a professional, I just want to continue to enjoy shooting for the fun of it.
‘What do you plan to do with your framing voucher?’
I usually have to make do with off the shelf frames from department stores for the prints I hang at home, so I’m really looking forward to the superb opportunity to obtain some quality custom made frames and obviously also do my bit by supporting a great UK company like Picture Frames Express!
